From RJ to YouTube star, Sahil Khattar among Top 30 Under 30: ‘My energy is my X factor’

In the run-up to its sixth edition of Top 30 under 30, Hindustan Times profiles 30 young achievers who will be felicitated at its flagship event on May 26. They are from fields ranging from the forces, academics and art to entertainment and sports. Among them is Sahil Khattar.

One of the top 10 YouTube stars, he became Chandigarh’s leading radio jockey when he was all of 17, with his programme Love Guru. Then he was crowned ‘Road ka raja’ for conducting street interviews. His two videos ‘Every Punjabi in the world’ and ‘Punjabi on the phone’ made him a star among the diaspora. He lied to his parents in 2010 and came to Mumbai to make a mark in the entertainment industry. Now after six years his parents have shifted with him to Mumbai.

Challenges facing India: “We lack quality infrastructure and a well-oiled system. Digitisation needs to be encouraged in a big way. Audiences need to get mature and we need to experiment with concepts.”

Uplifting feature: “Our population is one of our biggest strengths. Whatever we do can become a trend given our huge base.”

The road ahead: “I plan to set up a digital company called Khattarnaak with ‘khatarnaak’ (dangerous) content.”

As an agent of change: “I want to tell people that they are free, they should do what they want to do. I want to contribute to breaking away the social stigma. I want to start talking about everything so that people feel free to express themselves and create a domino effect.”

By the way: Bronze medalist in roller hockey, this sport is a passion with Sahil.